Technology

• Netflix has released a new teaser for You season 5.
• In the teaser, Joe has started a new life in New York with his rich wife, Kate.
• But the ghosts of his past – and his own sinister desires – have other plans.

After releasing an ominous first teaser clip and image of You season 5 earlier this year, Netflix has now unveiled a new trailer of Joe Goldberg's (Penn Badgley) final murderous chapter.

Following a truly mind-bending finale to You season 4, Joe leaves another fake identity behind and goes back to where his killer story began: New York City. Having finally come to terms with who and what he is, there's no knowing what deadly extremes he'll go to in his obsessive pursuit of love.

In the teaser (see below), Joe has the chutzpah to declare that he's "the luckiest guy in New York" now that he's settled down with his new wife Kate (Charlotte Ritchie), who has opened doors for him due to her wealthy background. But is his luck about to run out? I certainly hope so.

What can we expect in You season 5?

After masquerading as an English professor in London, the murderous bookstore manager heads to the Big Apple with Kate to, he hopes, enjoy his happily ever after. However, his perfect life is soon threatened by the ghosts of his past and his own dark desires.

In the fifth and final season of one of the best Netflix shows, Joe's new obsession arrives in the form of Bronte (Madeline Brewer), an enigmatic young playwright who comes to work at his bookstore and makes him reconsider his wealthy lifestyle (he's also not having the best of times having to contend with Kate's siblings.)

Joe's search for love has seen him embark on a globe-trotting journey over the show's four seasons – and from Los Angeles to London, the book-loving killer has has made himself a whole lot of enemies who are now out to get him.

Now, one of them is set to come back and haunt him in the Big Apple – but who could it be? There's Joe's love rival Dr. Nicky (John Stamos) from season 1, orphaned Ellie (Jenna Ortega) from season 2, and Joe's former love interest Marienne (Tati Gabrielle) in season 3 just to name a few. Not only has Joe being pursued by the living, but his victims including ex-girlfriend Beck (Elizabeth Lail) and wife Love (Victoria Pedretti) have also returned from the grave to torment him.

We'll have to see if Joe's past catches up with him when You season 5 premieres on the best streaming service on April 24.

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Amazon's next big Alexa event is imminent, and it's set to be a major one for all things Echo and smart home. The device-focused event, which will take place on February 26 at 10AM ET in New York City, marks the company's first Alexa announcement since September 2023. That was when the Echo Pop Kids smart speaker and its second-gen Echo Show 8 were unveiled. This time, Amazon is likely focused on the Alexa voice and could announce a big change for its smart assistant.

While Amazon hasn't officially revealed what's in store for its Alexa event, it hasn't been afraid to drop little hints here and there in the build-up to the next device launch. So far, we can venture a safe guess that the Alexa voice assistant will be the prime focus of the event, which is said to receive a significant AI upgrade, followed by the announcement of a new Echo smart speaker and possible Fire TV updates.

Therefore, we have a solid idea of what we expect next from the tech giant, but as we've said, nothing has been set in stone. We won't know for sure until Amazon makes it official during its event, so you can bet our eyes will be peeled for all the latest announcements during our live blog, which we'll update regularly throughout the event. Still, before that, these are the announcements we're expecting to see at tomorrow.

A next-gen Alexa

(Image credit: Getty Images)

At Amazon's last device event in September 2023, the company teased us with a brief look at Alexa AI, an AI-powered version of the voice assistant with ChatGPT-style functions. This could include an advanced ability to interpret context and distinguish natural speech, conducting multiple requests in a single voice command, and a possible monthly subscription fee.

There's no doubt that Alexa AI will be the star of the show at Amazon's event. However, as recent leaks have pointed out, the AI revamp may be slightly delayed before access is granted.

We've recently reported that an anonymous source informed The Washington Post ($/£) that the AI-revamped Alexa voice had been experiencing inaccuracies when asked questions. As a result, its release date could now be pushed back to March 31, but it will still be announced at Amazon's Alexa event tomorrow.

New Echo smart speakers

(Image credit: Future)

There's a chance we could see a brand new Echo speaker join Amazon's seemingly never-ending lineup of smart home devices that make up some of the best smart speakers. The last time the company unveiled a new Alexa speaker was the Amazon Echo 4th Gen in 2020.

Despite skipping its Alexa event last year, Amazon didn't starve us of some fresh Echo devices in its other smart home device ranges. Most notably, the Echo Show 21, which reigns as its largest Echo device, and its Echo Spot smart alarm speaker both made their debuts.

Given the near five-year time gap since Amazon's last Echo speaker hardware update, an announcement isn't completely unrealistic. A new smart speaker would also be handy for pairing with the AI-integrated Alexa voice.

Alexa subscription tiers

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

As we know, Alexa AI is likely to appear during Amazon's big Alexa event. However, we believe that the revamped voice assistant will offer limited free use before introducing a monthly subscription fee. Thankfully, though, this will likely not impact the classic Alexa we all know and love.

We've been aware that Amazon has been toying with the idea of implementing a fee for its new Alexa voice which could cost you between $5 to $10 a month. Considering that Amazon has fallen behind its AI competitors ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Apple Intelligence and has yet to ride the AI train, from a business perspective, charging a monthly fee makes sense. However, from a consumer perspective, we're still not entirely convinced that this will be worth splurging on, given its numerous delays and reported inaccurate responses.

Updates for Fire TV, and maybe a new device

(Image credit: Amazon)

While its Alexa voice assistant will be the main focus, it's likely that Amazon speak about its Fire TV device range. Amazon's 2023 device event revealed features for its Fire TV devices, including an improved Alexa voice search function and AI screensavers. Following Amazon's Android TV update, we believe the company could introduce new Fire TV devices alongside updates to the abovementioned features during its event.

Mentions of new Fire TV hardware were spotted on one of Amazon's developer pages, stating the following; “Android 14-based Fire TV is based on API level 34. The following sections explain some of [the] important changes that you should consider when you build apps for Android 14-based Fire TV". This gives a strong indication that new Fire TV devices will be one of the star announcements at tomorrow's event.

This leak has come at an awfully convenient time with the Alexa event due to happen tomorrow, adding to our suspicions that Amazon could expand its Fire TV line. With the lack of mentions of specific hardware models, we're unable to pinpoint what exactly this will entail, but we'd expect it to be the announcement of a new smart TV or streaming stick.

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• Researchers found a predatory loans app hiding as a financial management application
• Android app apeared to exclusively target Indian users
• It was removed from the Play Store

Cybersecurity researchers have found a SpyLoan app in Google Play targeting Indian consumers with some 100,000 downloads, before being pulled from the app store.

Predatory loan apps have a simple modus operandi: they advertise as quick and easy loan apps, offering fast loans with little to no paperwork. When the victim installs the app, though, it demands excessive permissions, accessing people’s messages and call logs, contacts, photos, and more.

After taking a loan, the app then asks for high interest rates, starts harassing the victim, and threatens to release sensitive photos (sometimes even fake, edited photos, too).

Bypassing security mechanisms with WebView

In this case, cybersecurity researchers from CYFIRMA found an app called Finance Simplified, which allegedly had 100,000 downloads on Google Play before being pulled down. This app pretended to be a financial management application, and while it worked more-or-less as intended around the world, it behaved differently for users located in India.

Before the app was pulled, BleepingComputer managed to read some of the reviews. "Very very very bad app they given low loan amount nd black mail to pay High otherwise photoes edited as a nude nd black mailing," one review read. CYFIRMA also said the app was advertised as a registered non-banking financial company, which was an outright lie.

Google is usually quite good at spotting malware in its repository, which begs the question - how did Finance Simplified make it through? Apparently, it loaded a WebView to redirect users to an external website, from where they downloaded a loan app APK hosted on an Amazon EC2 server.

"The Finance Simplified app appears to target Indian users specifically by displaying and recommending loan applications, loading a WebView that shows a loan service that redirects to an external website where a separate loan APK file is downloaded," CYFIRMA said.

After the news broke, a Google spokesperson said the app was removed from Google Play, and added that Android users are “automatically protected” against known versions of this malware by Google Play Protect. “Google Play Protect can warn users or block apps known to exhibit malicious behavior, even when those apps come from sources outside of Play,” the spokesperson told BleepingComputer.

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• Apple is reportedly targeting vloggers with the iPhone 17 series
• It may replace a dedicated digital camera for video creators
• For now, it's not clear what any potential video upgrades could be

We're gradually learning more and more about what Apple has in store for us with the iPhone 17 later this year, and a new report suggests the four phones are going to have a special focus on video recording features.

"In past years, Apple has focused more heavily on the camera's photo-taking abilities," writes Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg. "This year it will stress improvements to video recording."

Gurman is one of the more reliable Apple tipsters in the business, and he says Apple is targeting the "vlogging community" and "video creators" to move away from standalone cameras and use their iPhones instead.

It's not clear if there will be any new video recording features, or exactly what they might be, but it sounds like Apple is going to hype up these particular capabilities when it comes to iPhone 17 launch day (most probably sometime in September).

The current top-end iPhones, the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, can record video at a maximum resolution of 4K, and at up to 120 frames per second. Multi-stream ProRes and 3D spatial video recording are supported as well.

Potential upgrades

The rear cameras on the iPhone 16 Pro Max (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

If Apple is going to introduce new video features on the iPhone 17, what could they be? And will they offer enough to get vloggers to leave their dedicated digital cameras behind and go all-in on the iPhone?

A boost in megapixels is expected, as is a new telephoto sensor. On the hardware side, improved audio and video capture would certainly appeal, as would a boost to optical video stabilization for those smooth, extended shots.

There are likely to be improvements on the software and AI side too – perhaps something to match the Pixel's Audio Magic Eraser that cuts out background noise and can identify different types of sound (like singing or the hum of traffic).

(Image credit: Apple)

Yet even if the iPhone 17 does get these features, it won't completely replace the best vlogging cameras. TechRadar Cameras editor Tim Coleman says: "If a future iPhone 17 Pro is to be taken seriously by aspiring and pro filmmakers, Apple has its work cut out because we'd need to see several hardware improvements equating to the biggest single camera upgrade we've seen yet" he said.

"These include the quality of lenses, and for vloggers especially a dramatic improvement in the quality of the selfie camera. A built-in ND filter together with some sort of pro mode in the native camera app offering manual exposure control, including aperture and shutter speed, will make footage feel more natural and premium. I'd also hope for better heat dissipation, battery life, and larger SSD storage, although there are accessories to boost battery life and storage, so those points aren't dealbreakers" he added.

(Image credit: Sony )

Whatever happens, dedicated pro video cameras are likely to be around for a long time yet. "Today's vlogging cameras have evolved to keep them ahead of the best smartphones, like the iPhone 16 Pro. The DJI Osmo Pocket 3, for example, has a built-in gimbal for stabilization and smoothly following the subject" our cameras editor notes.

"The likes of the Panasonic GH7 and Sony ZV-E1, meanwhile, have much bigger sensors than iPhones and a wealth of pro-friendly recording modes. iPhones have made great strides with video, but there will be a place for standalone video cameras for a while yet" he added.

Still, while the iPhone 17 series won't be a primary camera for many filmmakers, it could well bring pro-friendly features to a new audience – and we're looking forward to finding out what those rumored features are later this year.

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• Fable has been delayed to 2026
• Xbox Game Studios lead Craig Duncan confirmed he's giving Playground Games "more time"
• New pre-alpha footage was also revealed, giving us a first look at the gameplay

Xbox has officially confirmed that Fable has been delayed to 2026, but also offered a first look at gameplay.

This comes from the latest episode of the Xbox Podcast, where Xbox Game Studios lead Craig Duncan revealed that Playground Games' next fantasy role-playing game (RPG) will no longer be released in the planned 2025 launch window and instead arrive in 2026.

When asked by Xbox's Tina Amini where the development is at with the game, Duncan said, "We're really excited about [Fable's] progress and where Playground are. We previously announced Fable as 2025.

"We are actually going to give Fable more time. It's going to ship in 2026 now. While I know that's not maybe the news people want to hear, what I want is to assure people that it's definitely worth the wait."

Duncan added that he has "unequivocal confidence" in Playground Games and referenced the studio's legacy with its popular Forza Horizon series.

"Just what they’re bringing to Fable as a franchise, just think of the visuals of what you expect of Playground games plus amazing gameplay, British humor, Playground’s version of Albion," he said. "So inspired by what’s gone before with the franchise but their take, in quite frankly the most beautifully realized version of Albion you’ve ever seen.

"So, really excited about the plans and really excited about the future. I want the community to understand that we do these things for the best of the games and the teams, and ultimately that results in the best game for the community."

Duncan then went on to showcase a few clips of pre-alpha gameplay footage captured in-game. There are moments of the playable character walking through stunning forests, riding a horse, shots of cityscapes, a few cutscenes, and even some combat featuring some monsters, like a werewolf.

He also confirmed that he's played some of the game, including some of the "city elements", and some quests, he's also engaged in combat and a boss battle, as well as "used magic".

"It felt amazing," Duncan said, "and I had a great time."

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We’ve been hearing about Alexa 2.0 for quite some time now, and with a mysterious Amazon devices showcase looming on the immediate horizon, we could finally be about to see the AI revolution hit smart home technology in a big way.

While we expected Alexa 2.0 sometime in 2024, Amazon didn’t deliver, skipping its 2024 Devices and Services event in favor of an Alexa-themed event this week on Feb 26 in New York City.

It’s an exciting moment for smart home fans, likely signaling the first major wave of new large language model (LLM) AI technology hitting our homes. However, the simple fact is there’s a lot that needs fixing in Amazon’s smart home - and that goes for Google, Samsung, and Apple, too, mind you - and AI might not be the solution for all of those problems.

It's left me at a challenging juncture I'm sure many budding smart home fans have faced; can Alexa keep up with my demands? Here are five problems I'd need to see fixed to keep me on-side.

1. Improved routines

(Image credit: Future / Amazon)

My biggest woe with Alexa is the dire state of automation. I use Alexa's Routine feature daily, and while the functionality works pretty well for the basics, as soon as you begin to work in any more complex instructions, custom commands, or conditional logic, you’re liable to either spend hours head-scratching while working through complex workarounds and third-party solutions and potentially just end up with something that scrapes by as semi-functional.

For example, there’s a lack of conditional logic. In an ideal world, I should be able to set up complex, conditional automations within the Alexa app; if my air quality monitor detects that it’s a bit cold in my home and its geofencing detects that I’m home and a sensor device detects the windows are closed, then my heater should turn on. In the past year, Alexa’s ability to incorporate multiple triggers has improved. Even so, it’s still limited and error-prone, meaning the best option stands as the more complex, added-cost IFTTT automation ecosystem.

It’d also be especially helpful if you could nest routines, allowing you to trigger complex chains of actions simultaneously instead of in one poorly optimized clump. Again, there are workarounds here using custom commands, but these work inconsistently, especially if Alexa has a surprise update that inexplicably wipes out its standard response to the exact same prompt you’ve been using for years.

Lastly, the ability to snooze routines or only run them when you’re home (currently impossible in the UK, where Amazon’s geolocation software isn’t available) would be helpful for those of us who live between homes or with a more flexible schedule.

We’ve got a full guide for how to use Alexa automations, why not check it out?

2. Contextual responses

(Image credit: Amazon)

One of the more likely Alexa upgrades we’ll see is improved contextual responses, allowing for many improved experiences when interacting with your smart home assistant.

For instance, one of the most frequent debates I have with my non-sentient smart home sasspot is the definition of ‘resume’. Often, I’ll pause a TV show, a news briefing, or some other kind of Alexa Skill while I take a call or answer the door, and I’ll ask Alexa to resume within minutes. What happens? Instead of resuming the media, I was just listening to, Alexa will nine times out of ten play whatever was last playing on Spotify.

Contextual responses would mean that instead of jumping straight to whatever takes priority in Alexa’s programming, the assistant will recall the context of my most recent requests and make a logic-based decision. Alexa offers contextual actions for certain smart home devices; smart lights can be controlled more easily when grouped into rooms with an Echo device. However, far wider-reaching device support is necessary to really make the smart assistant… well, assistive.

It would also allow for more natural interactions between the user and the Echo device. I regularly move between my kitchen and living room and have Alexa-enabled displays in both rooms. In an ideal world, I could ask Alexa to move Netflix from my kitchen to my living room, but as of writing, I have to pause my show, close Netflix, and then ask for Alexa to resume playing in the other room. It’s a first-world problem, yes, but a problem that bugs me every day when it should just work.

Improved Follow-up Mode

(Image credit: Future/James Holland)

Similarly, using Alexa would be a lot less painful if Follow-up Mode was a two-way street. When the feature was announced, many thought it might mean Alexa could ask follow-up questions to understand better what the user might want and need.

Unfortunately, Follow-up Mode basically just means that you don’t have to repeat your wake word to string commands to Alexa, which is certainly handy. It’s not exactly ‘smart’ though; all that’s happening is that your Echo speaker or display continues listening for a few seconds after completing your first request to see if you have anything else to add.

An improved Follow-up Mode could see Alexa asking clarifying questions, making real-time suggestions, and allow for better Routine configuration, wherein the user can ask Alexa to ask a clarifying question mid-way through a Routine that creates different pathways for executing the rest of the steps. Similarly, using Alexa would be a lot less painful if Follow-up mode was a two-way street. When the feature was announced, many thought it might mean Alexa could ask follow-up questions to understand better what the user might want and need.

Unfortunately, Follow-up Mode basically just means that you don’t have to repeat your wake word to string commands to Alexa, which is certainly handy. It’s not exactly ‘smart’ though; all that’s happening is that your Echo speaker or display continues listening for a few seconds after completing your first request to see if you have anything else to add.

An improved Follow-up Mode could see Alexa asking clarifying questions, making real-time suggestions, and allow for better Routine configuration, wherein the user can ask Alexa to ask a clarifying question mid-way through a Routine that creates different pathways for executing the rest of the steps.

4. Improved media searching

(Image credit: Amazon)

I won’t be joining the reams of conspiracy theorists claiming Alexa has “become dumber,” but I will say its ability to search for media seems to have deteriorated slightly, which could just as likely be a result of the ever-growing, terrifyingly vast swathes of content now available online.

For example, I’m a fan of Cobblestone Jazz, and I’ll often ask Alexa to play their music on Spotify. What do I get? A custom mix by Cybotron on Amazon Music. Any niche artist, track, or album is invariably skipped over for a slightly more recognizable alternative, with hilariously mismatched results at times.

The aforementioned improved handling of context would help Alexa to at least remember my preferences and make more logical decisions on what it thinks I might play, and follow-up questions where the user can provide more information and direction would also benefit Alexa’s hit rate. Regardless, something’s gotta give, so I stop accidentally blaring heavy metal instead of smooth jazz in the evening.

5. Improved language processing

(Image credit: Amazon)

I saved the obvious one for last because, of all the things that most need fixing, this is both the most important and most likely, thanks to the inevitable incorporation of LLM smarts to Alexa 2.0.

Currently, Alexa can be almost hilariously inefficient when it comes to commands, requiring very specific verbiage to work as intended. Better yet, that verbiage seems to change as updates come and go; the same Echo Spot I’ve been using to control my Philips Hue Signe for the best part of a year used to respond to “Signe” and now only responds to “floor lamp”, and I haven’t changed the name of the device in the App.

Improving language processing would mean users won’t have to adhere to a strict, seemingly undocumented list of specific commands and product names, which would allow users to play and experiment more with the voice assistant. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me they had no idea that their smart speaker could help you find your phone or talk you through a seven-minute workout, I’d have at least enough to afford the rumored new monthly Alexa subscription.

While smart home enthusiasts have found some workarounds for a number of the improvements I think Alexa needs so desperately, many involve fiddly hacks or third-party services that your average user just might not want to tackle.

Echo devices have always been positioned more towards the ‘everyman’ than those of us who like to get down in the weeds with smart home setup, and to that end, it’s a surprise that Alexa is still as complex and riddled with awkward loopholes and quirks as it is.

With Alexa 2.0, however, that seems fit to change - hopefully, all will be revealed tomorrow at Amazon’s ‘Devices and Services’ event, so make sure to stay tuned!

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I can't scroll through social media without stumbling across Severance season 2 fan theories, memes, art, and other creative endeavors, which is one of the reasons I'm so obsessed with the show. Recently, I found some fan-made Severance trailers that pay homage to three more of my favorite comedy shows: The Office, Succession, and Parks and Recreation. I'm sure Adam Scott, who plays Mark Scout in Severance and Ben Wyatt in Parks and Rec, will be thrilled about the latter!

It's so great to see one of the best Apple TV+ shows getting so much love, even if I am jealous of the people who didn't have to wait three years between seasons. If you're new to the Severance fandom, it's better late than never, and we get to see gems like this. I absolutely love Severance season 2's new title sequence, but these are very creative indeed, not to mention funny.

So, without further waffle (do you see what I did there?), here are the aforementioned fan-made trailers. Spoilers follow for Severance seasons 1 and 2, so proceed with caution if you haven't watched the popular Apple TV+ series yet.

Lumon if it was Dunder Mifflin

#SEVERANCE | the office intro pic.twitter.com/tuABaeqY7bFebruary 24, 2025

If Michael Scott could see this intro, I'm sure he would give it one of his coveted Dundies. Maybe Lumon should have its own award ceremony, too: The Lumies? That one needs work, I think.

Anyway, it's very cool to see one of my favorite comedy shows of all time, The Office, coming together with Severance. This brings a very different vibe to the mysterious Lumon halls. I would quite like to see a Kier-based sitcom. Can someone greenlight that?

Severance and Recreation

As mentioned, Adam Scott is well-known for playing Ben Wyatt in Parks and Recreation, so it's cool to see two of his most famous shows come together in a fan-made tease that the talented Inherent Mediocre has dubbed Severance and Recreation. This playful take on Severance features all of the main cast and uses the grid imagery that Parks and Recreation made so iconic.

Perhaps some of the Pawnee workers would quite like the idea of being severed, as not all of them are quite as enthusiastic about their jobs as Leslie Knope. I would love to see what all their innies are like.

Let's burn Waystar Royco to the ground

The drama of this one! Succession's intro has always been brilliant and it's one I never skipped because I just had to hear that great Nicholas Britell score every single time. Considering it's a show about corruption and power dynamics, there are parallels with Severance there for sure.

This is another Inherent Mediocre gem and, honestly, I'm excited to see where they go next because every creation of theirs is brilliant.

What Severance intro parodies would you like to see next? Let me know in the comments!

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• Salesforce has ramped up its AI model sharing with Google
• Partnership comes as Salesforce bets big on agentic AI
• Long context windows and real-time data are just some of the benefits

Salesforce and Google Cloud have announced what they describe as a “major expansion” of their strategic partnership – a two-way deal which will see them sharing cloud and AI resources.

Central to the deal is how Salesforce customers will nowbe able to build AI agents using Google’s Gemini models as well as deploy Salesforce on Google Cloud.

The news comes during the emergence of agentic AI, a sector that’s estimated to be worth $2 trillion.

“Our mutual customers have asked us to be able to work more seamlessly across Salesforce and Google Cloud, and this expanded partnership will help them accelerate their AI transformations with agentic AI, state-of-the-art AI models, data analytics, and more," noted Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian.

Salesforce and Google Cloud deepen partnership

The news comes during the emergence of agentic AI, a sector that’s estimated to be worth $2 trillion.

According to Salesforce data, 84% of CIOs believe artificial intelligence will be as significant as the internet itself.

Salesforce’s access to Google’s models includes Grounding with Google Search through Vertex AI, which means that users will be able to access “up-to-the-minute data, news, current events, and credible citations.”

Salesforce also noted the importance of giving its customers the freedom to choose their own models – this flexibility should in theory prevent them from seeking alternative solutions, keeping them spending their money with Salesforce.

“Through our expanded partnership with Google Cloud and deep integrations at the platform, application, and infrastructure layer, we’re giving customers choice in the applications and models they want to use," noted Salesforce Chief Engineering Officer Srini Tallapragada.

The announcement also references Gemini’s two million-token context window, making it one of the most powerful models for contextual understanding and reasoning.

The two companies have promised deeper integrations across Data Cloud, BigQuery, and Cortex Framework later in 2025, as well as new native Tableau, Looker, and BigQuery integration.

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• Assassin's Creed Shadows has leaked one month ahead of its March release date
• Some players were able to get hold of eary copies that were being sold online
• Ubisoft has called the situation "unfortunate" and says any game footage being spread online doesn't represent the final product

Assassin's Creed Shadows has leaked one month ahead of its release after some players received physical copies early.

Earlier this week, it was reported (via VGC) that the upcoming Assassin's Creed title was already out in the wild after fans discovered some players were streaming the game and leaking certain elements online.

A Reddit post currently doing the rounds features screenshots of someone who was able to buy a physical PS5 copy of the game. They also offered proof of the game being downloaded on their system as well as several photos of them playing as one of the two playable protagonists, Naoe, alongside their current loadout and level.

The version the leaker owns is apparently "a much older build with none of the improvements added in from the delays".

It's not exactly clear how many copies were leaked, but it's claimed that some players were able to purchase copies online from third-party sources. One user in the same Reddit thread was able to provide a screenshot of a Facebook Marketplace listing, offering PS5 copies of the game for $100.

pic.twitter.com/Ignd2JZVpSFebruary 24, 2025

Ubisoft has since responded to the leaks and said that any footage shared online is not representative of the final product.

"We are aware players have accessed Assassin's Creed Shadows ahead of its official release," Ubisoft said in a statement on X / Twitter. "The development team is still working on patches to prepare the experience for launch and any footage shared online does not represent the final quality of the game.

"Leaks are unfortunate and can diminish the excitement for players. We kindly ask you not to spoil the experience for others. Thank you to our community for already taking steps to protect everyone from spoilers."

Assassin's Creed Shadows, which was originally supposed to launch on November 12, 2024, was once again delayed from its new February 14, 2025, release date in January.

The game will now launch on March 20, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

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• 54 hours of playback time via the charging case
• Bluetooth 5.4 (SBC and AAC) connectivity
• US pricing isn't confirmed but the previous model is $35

The Oppo Enco Air earbuds have been respectable budget-priced AirPods alternatives since the first generation shipped in 2021, and the latest generation follow in that tradition. They don't come with a big list of fancy features, but they're solid with exceptional battery life.

The battery in the charging case is a relatively large 560mAh, and according to Oppo that means you can get a total play time of 54 hours; just in the buds, battery life is still a huge 12 hours. And while there's no ANC or Hi-Res Audio support (which helps with the long battery life – though 12 hours is massive by any standard) the specification isn't bad for the price.

(Image credit: Oppo) Oppo Enco Air 4i: key features and pricing

The Enco Air 4i are IP55 rated for water and dust resistance and they come with Bluetooth 5.4 with relatively low latency: Oppo says that in gaming mode it's 47ms. It's important to note that while the Bluetooth version is the most recent it doesn't appear to come with the full set of audio codecs: the listed specifications only mention SBC and AAC.

The drivers are 12.4mm, slightly smaller than the 13.4mm ones in the 3i, and you can adjust the audio profile in-app with the 6-band graphic equalizer. There are built-in mics for calling, and with a weight of just 4.3g the buds should be comfortable for even long listening sessions.

We don't know the US, UK or Aus launch date yet but we do know that these earbuds are going to be extremely affordable: the Chinese price is 99 yuan, which is roughly $14. Of course there are currency differences, taxes and other factors that'll make them cost a bit more than that in the US, but probably not by a huge amount: the previous version, the Enco Air 3i earbuds, retail in the US for around $35.

We'll let you know when we hear more about their launch here, to challenge our picks of the best cheap earbuds.

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• Leaker Kosutami has claimed the AirTag 2 will launch in “May or June”
• That lines up with a similar claim from reporter Mark Gurman
• AirTag 2 could feature longer range and Vision Pro integration

Apple’s AirTag is a popular way to keep track of your valuables, yet it hasn’t been updated since it first launched in 2021. That drought could well come to an end this year, though, as a leaker has claimed a new version will launch in the next few months.

The information comes from leaker Kosutami, who said in a post on X that Apple plans to launch a next-generation AirTag in “May or June.” Kosutami has shared accurate information in the past, including that the iPhone 16 Pro would come with a battery encased in metal, but they’ve had some misses as well.

Still, their claim matches one made by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman in November 2024. At the time, Gurman said that Apple was planning to release a new AirTag “around the middle of next year,” with “next year” referring to 2025.

Kosutami’s prediction lines up with the one from Gurman, as May or June is roughly the middle of 2025. So with Android's Find My Device trackers starting to improve over the last six months, what can we expect from an AirTag 2?

What to expect from AirTag 2

(Image credit: Future)

If the AirTag 2 really is lined up for the middle of the year, it would make sense for Apple to reveal it at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). This event falls in June and frequently features product announcements, so it would make sense for Apple to include the new AirTag during the event.

The latest AirTag 2 rumors, from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, suggested that the tracker would “offer better range, bolster the onboard wireless chip, and improve privacy” compared to the first generation.

That wireless chip could be a second-generation Ultra Wideband number from Apple, while Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that the new AirTag could be integrated with the Vision Pro headset in some way. That wouldn't be a huge deal given the Vision Pro's widely-reported challenges, but we're certainly interested in the claims of improved range (which is currently between 10m-30m locally, or virtually unlimited if there's someone with an iPhone nearby).

With another leaker backing up Gurman and claiming the AirTag 2 is just a few months away from launch, it’s likely that we’ll start to see more leaks trickle out soon. If you're thinking of buying an AirTag, it might be wise to hold off for now – given a successor is likely only a few months away.

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The next big Netflix murder thriller that everyone's going to be talking about is Adolescence – a four-part show coming on March 13th, and the big selling point is that each episode was filmed in, and will be presented as, one unbroken take. Not a faux single take, like 1917, where lots of long takes are stitched together – actually all one take, is the promise.

Director Philip Barantini and actor Stephen Graham have form in this area, having done the same thing for the movie Boiling Point, and while that movie used the technique to wrap you in the intensity of the managed chaos of a restaurant kitchen, Adolescence will use it to take an unflinching look at the world of knife crime and toxic attitudes among teenagers.

It's to the show's credit that the trailer doesn't lean into the one-take premise at all, and simply looks utterly gripping and compelling.

The show follows the aftermath of a 13-year-old boy being accused of the murder of a girl who goes to his school. It'll explore what really happened, and why, as well as the aftermath among his family and the police detective leading the case.

Writer Jack Thorne told Deadline "The camera doesn’t blink in this show and by being unblinking it allows for a certain rawness and honesty… There are lots of ways of telling these stories and looking at knife crime but what we wanted to do is spend a lot of time thinking about our relationship with rage and talking about things that we struggle with as people. What has resulted is a piece that uses the technical to unlock the emotional."

There's the potential for some really interesting filmmaking to be explored, as Thorne further explained to Deadline: "The cinematographers thought a chase scene I had written would look like a computer game and instead I got this call from [Barantini] who said, ‘Imagine if the cameras could fly.’ So we strapped cameras to a drone that took off over traffic lights and then suddenly you’re at the murder scene. Emotionally it kicks you in the stomach."

It sounds like each episode will explore a different element of the story, which makes sense in terms of not being able to just cut across town to explore what someone else is up to.

I'm really looking forward to this one – its promise of exploring youth violence, rage, modern social pressures, and the influence of the 'manosphere' on teenagers, it could be a really impacting and timely thriller, as well as mind-blowing technical marvel. One of the best Netflix shows this year? We'll find out on March 13th, 2025.

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• Microsoft appears to be experimenting with ad-supported Office desktop apps
• They are limited in their functionality, and will require OneDrive syncing
• Word, Excel and PowerPoint could be going free

Microsoft appears to have released free versions of its core Office apps – Word, Excel and PowerPoint – although they are supported by ads and limited in their functionality.

The change was first spotted by Beebom, which revealed the free desktop apps show a persistent banner ad, as well as a 15-second video ad which plays “every few hours.”

However the company has already scrambled to clarify the launch is only a test, with a Microsoft spokesperson saying there were "no plans" for a wider launch.

Microsoft quietly launches ad-supported Office apps

“Microsoft has been conducting some limited testing,” a company spokesperson told PCWorld. “Currently, there are no plans to launch a free, ad-supported version of Microsoft Office desktop apps.”

Users looking to get access to the free office software will also notice that local file editing is not supported and that they’ll be guided to save files on OneDrive.

To access the free apps, users will need to skip the sign-in prompt and then agree to save their files in Microsoft’s cloud storage system OneDrive.

Being no-cost, these three free apps will be more limited in their functionality, lacking certain tools like Add-ins, Dictate, SmartArt, advanced formatting and Pivot Tables. The apps seem to plug a gap between the fully fledged desktop apps and the even more limited online web apps.

Beebom noted that for now at least, the free desktop apps are only available for Windows users, but they can still be used offline despite the requirement to save files in OneDrive.

Downloading the free apps is exactly the same as downloading the full apps, just that users will skip the sign-in stage that would otherwise get them access to all features.

In terms of availability, some users have reported not being able to access the free versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, suggesting it could be in a testing phase, which adds up given that Microsoft has not formally announced anything on the matter. Moreover, there’s no Mac equivalent (yet).

For context, Microsoft recently raised the prices of consumer 365 subscriptions, so this could be one of the ways it’s justifying the change. TechRadar Pro has asked Microsoft to confirm some details, but we did not get an immediate response.

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